海角直播

Bangladesh cuts Hajj package fee by 20% to accommodate more pilgrims

Special Bangladesh cuts Hajj package fee by 20% to accommodate more pilgrims
Bangladeshi pilgrims arrive at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah on May 9, 2024. (SPA file photo)
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Updated 30 October 2024

Bangladesh cuts Hajj package fee by 20% to accommodate more pilgrims

Bangladesh cuts Hajj package fee by 20% to accommodate more pilgrims
  • Bangladeshis will pay $920 less than this year for the 2025 pilgrimage package
  • Hajj quota for Bangladesh was 127,000 in 2024 but only 85,000 pilgrims traveled

DHAKA: The Bangladeshi government cut the cost of Hajj packages on Wednesday to make the spiritual journey more accessible in next year鈥檚 pilgrimage season.

Last year, 海角直播 granted Bangladesh a quota of 127,000 pilgrims, but high inflation and the cost of flights to the Middle East meant only 85,000 were able to embark on the spiritual journey.

In 2024, the minimum government rate for Hajj was nearly $5,000; for 2025, it will be about 20 percent lower.

鈥淲e have announced two Hajj packages today for next year鈥檚 Hajj. It鈥檚 good news for our pilgrims that costs have been reduced significantly this time, compared with last year. In one package, it has been reduced by $920, and in another one, the cost is reduced by around $100,鈥 Matiul Islam, additional secretary at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, told Arab News.

鈥淭his huge reduction in the Hajj expense was mainly possible due to the reduction in plane fare and accommodation facilities.鈥

Under the cheaper package, pilgrims will stay in accommodation some 3 km from the Great Mosque of Makkah, while hotels will be located within 1.5 km of the sacred site under the more expensive one.

Bangladesh, one of the most populous Muslim-majority countries, also struggled to meet its Hajj quota in 2023, as few people were able to afford it.

The government is hopeful this will not be the case in 2025.

鈥淲e hope that the Hajj quota will be fulfilled as Hajj expenses have been reduced significantly. As of today, around 9,000 pilgrims (are) registered for next year,鈥 Islam said.

鈥淚 think the prospective pilgrims will register for Hajj in huge numbers in the next weeks, as many of them were waiting for the announcement of the new package.鈥

Next year鈥檚 Hajj is expected to begin on June 4. The deadline for Bangladeshi pilgrims to register is Nov. 30.


Migrant sent back to France by Britain returns on a small boat

Migrant sent back to France by Britain returns on a small boat
Updated 2 sec ago

Migrant sent back to France by Britain returns on a small boat

Migrant sent back to France by Britain returns on a small boat
LONDON: One of the first migrants sent back to France under the British government鈥檚 flagship 鈥渙ne in, one out鈥 deal has returned to Britain on a small boat, a minister confirmed, adding that he would be deported for a second time.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed a deal in July for Britain to deport some of the undocumented people arriving across the Channel back to France in return for accepting an equal number of asylum seekers with British family connections.
Starmer said the 鈥済round-breaking鈥 deal would act as a deterrent and help with his pledge to 鈥渟mash the gangs鈥 and reduce small boat arrivals.
The migrant, who was not named, told the Guardian newspaper he was a victim of modern slavery at the hands of people smugglers in Northern France.
The news of the migrant鈥檚 return came as the number of arrivals so far this year comes close to surpassing the total of 36,816 for 2024, which was the second highest on record after 2022.
Some 42 have been returned so far in the pilot stages of the 鈥渙ne in, one out鈥 scheme, the government said on Sunday.
The man鈥檚 return 29 days after he was deported was on the front pages of British newspapers on Thursday, with the headlines of 鈥淥ne in, one out... and back in again鈥 on four titles and 鈥淟e Farce鈥 on the Daily Mail.
Junior minister Josh MacAlister said on Thursday the man would be removed again.
鈥淭his guy came across originally, shouldn鈥檛 have been coming across, was smuggled across and paid a lot of money to do so, was then returned to France,鈥 he told Sky News.
鈥淗as done the same again. He has paid again, and he will be returned again. We will make sure that happens.鈥

Indonesia, Brazil strike cooperation deals as leaders meet

Indonesia, Brazil strike cooperation deals as leaders meet
Updated 4 min ago

Indonesia, Brazil strike cooperation deals as leaders meet

Indonesia, Brazil strike cooperation deals as leaders meet
  • Indonesia and Brazil agreed to boost ties and struck a series of agreements on Thursday as their leaders met in Jakarta

JAKARTA: Indonesia and Brazil agreed to boost ties and struck a series of agreements on Thursday as their leaders met in Jakarta, with Southeast Asia鈥檚 biggest economy looking to make further inroads into South American markets.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was greeted by a marching band and national anthems at a ceremony at the presidential palace in Jakarta before talks with Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto.
The pair witnessed the signing of agreements on oil, gas, electricity, technology, mining and agriculture, coming several months after US President Donald Trump imposed a tariff rate of 19 percent on imports from Indonesia under a new pact, and a 50-percent tariff on Brazilian products.
鈥淗ow is it that two important countries in the world, such as Indonesia and Brazil, which together have a population of almost 500 million, only have a trade volume of $6 billion?鈥 said Lula at a joint press conference after talks.
鈥淭his is not enough for Indonesia, and it is not enough for Brazil.鈥
The Indonesian leader said both countries were working to establish a free trade agreement between the Southeast Asian powerhouse and the South American bloc Mercosur, which consists of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Uruguay.
鈥淚 believe this will strengthen our relations and will make both of our economies and the economies of Latin America grow rapidly,鈥 Prabowo told Lula.
In the press conference Prabowo called both countries 鈥渢wo new economic powers that are rising鈥 which must 鈥渋ncrease trade.鈥
Brazil has deepened relations with Southeast Asia in recent years, and Lula鈥檚 participation at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Malaysia that starts on Sunday 鈥 the first by a Brazilian president 鈥 marks the country鈥檚 growing political engagement in the region.
Brazil is also one of Indonesia鈥檚 main trading partners in South America.
Total trade between the two nations between January and August was worth $4.3 billion, according to Statistics Indonesia data.
The Southeast Asian nation is looking to bolster ties in Latin America, and in August signed a trade agreement with Peru.
It also joined the BRICS bloc of major emerging economies, of which Brazil is a member, in January.


Victims of Valencia floods grapple with mental toll as rain returns

Victims of Valencia floods grapple with mental toll as rain returns
Updated 21 min 39 sec ago

Victims of Valencia floods grapple with mental toll as rain returns

Victims of Valencia floods grapple with mental toll as rain returns
  • Some parts of Europe experienced their wettest year on record in 2024, with storms and flooding affecting an estimated 413,000 people, according to the EU鈥檚 Copernicus Climate Change Service
  • Governments must plan for not only the material but also the psychological damage floods inflict on victims, health experts say

ALFAFAR: The sound of rain still triggers panic in Jose Manuel Gonzalez, a year after he spent six hours clinging to a traffic light as floods in the Valencia region of Spain swept away everything in their path, killing more than 220 people including his brother.
Gonzalez, 58, said he often wakes up in a state of shock, unable to shake off memories of the night on that traffic light from where he watched his daughter hold on for her life to the awning of a nearby shop in the Valencia suburb of Alfafar, one of the worst-affected areas.
He feels responsible for his elderly mother, who is devastated after his brother was taken by a torrent of water as he tried to rescue a woman from a car that night.
Even just a drop of rain is 鈥渓ike an alarm, something that goes off in my head, like a flashing light, as if warning me about something,鈥 he said.
Doctors diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and he was prescribed tranquilizers, which he said help him collect his thoughts and remind himself he is safe when it rains.
Weather-related natural disasters, many exacerbated by climate change, are on the rise, according to the United Nations. Studies show the prolonged time it can take to clear up after floods can also place significant stress on its victims, leaving them with long-term mental health issues.

PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE AND FEAR OF THE RAIN
Governments must plan for not only the material but also the psychological damage floods inflict on victims, health experts say. Almost one in five people suffer from PTSD after flooding, according to a 2015 study in the Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness journal published by Cambridge University Press.
Some parts of Europe experienced their wettest year on record in 2024, with storms and flooding affecting an estimated 413,000 people, according to the EU鈥檚 Copernicus Climate Change Service. That resulted in the loss of at least 335 lives and caused at least 18 billion euros ($21 billion) of damage.
In the wake of the Valencia floods, the Spanish government created a special mental health emergency unit (USME), which along with other local mental health services has treated thousands of people in the worst-hit areas.
Almost 28 percent of adults affected by the floods suffered from PTSD, according to a poll of 2,275 people carried out by the regional government鈥檚 health department.
鈥淲e have people who don鈥檛 want to take a bath, or go to the sea, or be near water. There is a lot of aquaphobia,鈥 said Julieta Mondo, a psychologist at USME.
鈥淭rauma makes your brain constantly remind you that (the rain) is dangerous,鈥 she added.
Treatment involves explaining to people that their reaction is normal and gradually exposing them to their fear of water, she said.
She said more women tend to suffer from the psychological effects of the floods because they are often the main caregivers in the home and struggle to balance looking after children with their own emotions, especially when it rains.
Eleven people died on Arantxa Ferrer鈥檚 street in La Torre, a suburb across the river from Valencia city. She escaped by climbing out through her terrace to a neighbor鈥檚 apartment after her ground floor flat began filling with water.

MEDICATION AND THERAPY TO ALLEVIATE PTSD
Immediately after the floods, she couldn鈥檛 sleep, she said. She would shut her eyes and all she could hear were noises of people shouting and of water. Today, with the help of medication and therapy to alleviate her PTSD she can endure the sight and sound of the rain and has even ventured out to see the river that broke its banks and that, along with the overflowing of several ravines, caused destruction and death in her neighborhood.
Ferrer, a 47-year-old marketing executive, said her doctor has told her, 鈥済o to the window, watch the rain fall, listen to it鈥 to overcome her fear at the sound.
Her neighbor, Juan Benet, whose sister died in the floods, was more skeptical about therapy鈥檚 benefits. An army psychologist came to speak to him but he felt no connection with the therapist who hadn鈥檛 experienced what he had, he said.
鈥淚t didn鈥檛 do anything for me, nor will it ever do anything for me, because I have it here and here,鈥 he said, pointing at his head and heart. 鈥淭his will never go away.鈥
With the end of the summer, the rainy season is back in Valencia. Authorities have already issued several red alerts, warning of the possibility of torrential rain and flooding that ultimately didn鈥檛 transpire.
Gonzalez, who owns a business providing psychometric tests for drivers, said he鈥檚 struggling to go back to the light-hearted person he was before the floods. He and his partner have stopped traveling and he sometimes struggles to understand when asked questions, he said.
鈥淚 want to move forward, but it鈥檚 impossible to be who I was before without the help of anti-anxiety medication,鈥 he said. 鈥淓verything scares me. I can鈥檛 help it, all because of post-traumatic stress.鈥


Zelensky hails 鈥榮trong鈥 message鈥 of US sanctions on Russia

Zelensky hails 鈥榮trong鈥 message鈥 of US sanctions on Russia
Updated 16 min 37 sec ago

Zelensky hails 鈥榮trong鈥 message鈥 of US sanctions on Russia

Zelensky hails 鈥榮trong鈥 message鈥 of US sanctions on Russia
  • Trump slapped sanctions on Russia鈥檚 two largest oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil on Wednesday, complaining that his talks with Vladimir Putin to end the Ukraine war 鈥渄on鈥檛 go anywhere鈥

BRUSSELS: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday hailed the 鈥渟trong and much-needed鈥 message sent by US sanctions on Russia鈥檚 energy sector, after President Donald Trump moved to ratchet up pressure on Moscow in step with the EU.
鈥淲e waited for this. God bless it will work and this is very important,鈥 Zelensky told journalists at an EU summit in Brussels, saying Washington had sent 鈥渁 good signal to other countries in the world to join the sanctions.鈥
Trump slapped sanctions on Russia鈥檚 two largest oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil on Wednesday, complaining that his talks with Vladimir Putin to end the Ukraine war 鈥渄on鈥檛 go anywhere.鈥
Posting on X as he arrived in Brussels, Zelensky thanked Trump for a 鈥渞esolute and well-targeted decision.鈥
He said the US sanctions were a 鈥渃lear signal that prolonging the war and spreading terror come at a cost.鈥
鈥淚t is a strong and much-needed message that aggression will not go unanswered,鈥 he said.
Trump has held off pulling the trigger on sanctions against Russia for months but his patience snapped after plans for a fresh summit with Putin in Budapest collapsed.
His move came as the European Union approved a 19th package of sanctions to pressure Russia to end its relentless, three-and-a-half-year invasion of its neighbor.
As part of its new measures, the 27-nation bloc likewise targeted Russia鈥檚 fossil fuels by bringing forward a ban on the import of liquefied natural gas by a year to the start of 2027.
It also blacklisted over 100 more tankers from Moscow鈥檚 so-called 鈥渟hadow fleet鈥 of aging oil vessels and imposed controls on the travel of Russian diplomats suspected of espionage.
The package was formally adopted Thursday, just before Zelensky joined EU leaders for summit talks focused on shoring up support for Ukraine.


Russian strikes kill rescuer, damage synagogue in Ukraine

Russian strikes kill rescuer, damage synagogue in Ukraine
Updated 51 min 43 sec ago

Russian strikes kill rescuer, damage synagogue in Ukraine

Russian strikes kill rescuer, damage synagogue in Ukraine
  • Russian attacks overnight and into the early hours of Thursday killed one rescue worker in Ukraine, disrupted train services and damaged a synagogue, Ukrainian officials said

KYIV: Russian attacks overnight and into the early hours of Thursday killed one rescue worker in Ukraine, disrupted train services and damaged a synagogue, Ukrainian officials said.
AFP journalists in Kyiv heard air raid sirens and explosions during the night, as Russia launched 130 drones, according to the Ukrainian air force.
The emergency services said the rescue worker was killed and five others were wounded putting out a fire during a repeat Russian attack on the village of Zelenyi Gai in the eastern Kharkiv region.
鈥淎nother crime against rescuers,鈥 its statement posted on social media said.
In Kyiv, eight people were wounded, city officials said, while the foreign ministry announced a synagogue had been damaged during the attack on three districts of the city.
鈥淩ussian terror does not spare anyone, including religious communities,鈥 the foreign ministry said.
Its statement added that 640 places of worship and 67 religious leaders had been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
AFP journalists in Kyiv saw residential buildings whose windows were blown out in the attack and the charred remains of cars as residents cleared rubble.
In the eastern Sumy region, officials said two railway workers were wounded, while the state trains operator said services were disrupted in the border region.
Russia鈥檚 defense ministry meanwhile said it shot down 139 Ukrainian drones overnight, mostly over western regions bordering Ukraine.
The governor of the Ryazan region, southeast of Moscow, reported a fire at an industrial site, after unverified images on social media showed a large flame at an oil refinery there.
The overnight exchange of Russian and Ukrainian fire came one day after Russian bombardments killed seven people, including two children, and spurred nationwide blackouts across Ukraine.